Chapter 9: Cure

Penelope

We entered through the portal and found ourselves in a dreary, gray version of Danville. There was also a great deal of old architecture and people. "Ah, home at last," sighed my Perry.

"Whoa! This is like those old books Ferb and I found," said Phineas.

"Well, let's get going then. No use standing about," said their Perry.

"Can you set me down first, please?" asked Max.

"Right. Sorry about that, mate," said their Perry.

"No problem. This way." Max guided us down side alleys and into a large sewer system.

We soon found ourselves in a place that my Perry seemed to recognize. "This is the place where I spoke with Frederick," he mentioned. He seemed to shiver at the memory. It's bad enough the Enigma wiped his memory, but he wiped his sense of bravery too. I sighed. I still loved him greatly and it was for this reason that I hoped this would all end soon.

We made one final turn into a sort of dungeon. I recognized the Enigma's body immediately. "Doofenshmirtz?" I asked.

He turned and I knew it was him. While he had the Enigma's body, the look in his eye was different. Perhaps it was my own intuition or magic that knew the difference between a good soul and a rotten one.

"You made it!" said Heinz. "Wait, who's this guy?" he pointed at Max.

"My son, Max, all grown up," I explained.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, of course I am Max. Who else would I be?" asked Max. I couldn't deny he looked a lot like Max, but maybe Heinz had a reason to be suspicious. At the very least, if, on the extreme off-chance that this wasn't Max, he didn't seem to hold ill intent. It had been some time since I had gotten a good look at any of my children. I remember saying goodbye to them before going on my bike, but…

"Well, it's good that you're all here. I've been working on a spell that will help Perry regain his memory and keep it protected if that should happen again," said Heinz.

"What do you need?" I asked.

"A little help. I haven't done a lot of magical stuff, so having someone nearby who knows more about it would make me feel better," he explained, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"I am at your service," I curtsied.

"Thanks." He stood at a table with multiple ingredients I recognized. A bottle held boiling liquid in it and was glowing a bright purple. "So, check my math here: by harnessing the magic in the area, we acquire the magic we want to counteract. By having the magic, we can better create the anti-magic."

"Correct."

"I got none of that," said Buford.

"You can't get rid of the bad thing without knowing what the bad thing looks like," Phineas explained.

"Oh, gotcha," said Buford.

Doofenshmirtz was turning the pages in his acquired spell book when he discovered an interesting page. How to Switch Bodies. "Hey, look at this! I could switch back with the Enigma with this spell," he said.

"It would appear so, but it would also appear you'd have to have him present for the spell to work," I said.

"That can happen later then," said Doofenshmirtz, his eyes glittering with excitement at his discovery. Magic suited him. Imagine that. Years of mad science and he could have been using magic this whole time.

"It looks like we're nearly ready, then," I said.

"Yep! All we need is a bit of DNA from the one whom we are trying to cast the spell on; a lock of fur or some blood would do best."

I grabbed a knife from the table and approached Perry. "Hey, easy now," said my Perry carefully.

"Just hold still, Perry. It won't even hurt if you hold still," I said. He met a wall and I quickly grabbed a lock of fur from his arm and cut it with the knife. "There. Now was that so bad?"

"N-no. Not at all," replied my Perry with a nervous smile.

"Right," I said. "Doctor, your DNA," I said as I gave Doofenshmirtz the lock of fur.

Heinz stirred in the fur with the boiling purple liquid, turning the mixture the same teal shade as Perry's fur. He took it off the heat and poured it into a mug with ice in it. The ice melted quickly with a hiss and some of the formula dissolved into the air. He swished the liquid in the mug a little before handing it to Perry. "With this, your memory will come back and your mind will be protected from any future attempts at taking your memory from you," he said.

"Thank you, Doctor. I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner," I said.

"You want me to drink this?" asked my Perry skeptically while inspecting the liquid.

"Think of it as drinking medicine. Close your eyes, hold your breath, and gulp it down," I said, trying to encourage him. Almost none of the magic formulas I knew how to mix tasted good.

"Right." I knew, logically, that trusting practical strangers had to be a big step for Perry. To extend his trust this far was asking a lot, but there was something in his eye as he looked at me. I knew he was doing this because he trusted me more than anyone else. There was some part of his brain that still remembered me, our love. Perry gulped it down quickly, as I had suggested, and immediately dropped the mug and clutched his head in pain thereafter. I grabbed him to support him, as did the second dimension's Perry.

We heard footsteps coming down the stairs and knew trouble was near. "Go, quickly!" I said to the others. To Doofenshmirtz, I said, "Thank you so much, Doctor. I hope to see you soon." I shook his hand quickly.

"Yes, of course." After that, I faintly heard, "And hopefully, next time, I will no longer be in this platypus body, but back in my own."

That's all for now! Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)